Monday, December 4, 2017

Brickstone Brewery in Bourbonnais

Whenever we are on the road or heading somewhere that's an hour or so drive from home, my husband always likes to look up craft breweries in that area to find a new one to stop at. Last year, I arranged online to buy him an old Studebaker pick-up truck for Father's Day as a project for him to work on with the kids. Then, they had to go pick it up and it was a couple hours away in a rural area in central Illinois.

He didn't find anything in the area he had to go to, but did find that Brickstone Brewery was kind of on the way - at probably the mid-way point. So, he and the boys went down to pick up the truck and on the way back they made a dinner stop at Brickstone. He really liked it and has been wanting to get back there.So, on one of his weekdays off work he decided we'd go there for lunch and then try and visit one of the nature preserves that have rehomed bison and recreated prairie land with native plants. It was a very warm and sunny day, so it was perfect for a little hike outside. We decided to stop for lunch first and started with a flight so that we could try out several of the beers. Along with it we got a big combo platter - and my favorite thing on it was the spinach cheese dip. I've been craving it ever since we visited. The platter also had chicken strips, onion rings and a buffalo chicken roll that was super tasty - and there were a variety of yummy sauces along with it. They also brought bread to the table - a whole warm loaf. And how could I resist that?

I was pretty full after the appetizer, so I got a salad and hubby ordered the Black N' Bleu Sirloin - and shared a little with me. It was delicious - cooked medium with peppercorn seasoning and with a giant portobello mushroom and it was covered in a melted sauce with bleu cheese crumbles. It was served with mashed potatoes and some fresh, sautéed vegetables. Hubby enjoyed it and then somehow managed to still have a little room left for dessert - raspberry cheesecake.It was a great place for a lunch date and I'd definitely like to stop for a bite and some beer when we are heading down I-57 again. For more information, visit BrickstoneBrewery.com.